From Equal Cultural Rights to Universal Accessibility - National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Leads the Way
TAIPEI, Nov. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2019 International Conference on Cultural Accessibility and Social Inclusion (CASI 2019), organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts under the auspices of Taiwan's the Ministry of Culture, officially opened on November 5, 2019. It marks the first conference of its kind ever to be held in Chinese speaking regions. Some 350 participants from 12 countries and regions round the world attended the conference and engaged in multilateral and interdisciplinary exchanges on topics ranging from theories, service design, administration, to practices that enhance access to cultural venues. Conference speakers included experts and scholars from eight countries and regions, such as Russia, Taiwan, the UK and the US.
Taiwan has blazed a trail in promoting cultural equality and accessibility across the island; various cultural institutions in Taiwan have developed universally accessible services to cater to a wider range of visitor needs. As a museum designated by the Ministry of Culture as a demonstration site for accessible services, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts has been developing and providing regular exhibitions and programs that are friendly and accessible to senior citizens, visitors with hearing or visual impairments, and those with special needs. The museum's director, Dr. Chi Ming Lin, believes that this conference, as a platform for exchanging experiences and best practices, will contribute to raising awareness of cultural equality and create synergy across cultural sectors at home and abroad.
The concept of universal accessibility is embodied in both the facilities and the wide range of services available during 2019 CASI: audio description, sign language interpretation, computer assisted real-time captions, sighted guide, large print materials, Muslim prayer room, to name a few. Through providing a full range of accessible services at a conference of international caliber, the organizer hopes to set an example so that principles of universal accessibility and social inclusion can be more widely adopted around the world.
Interested parties are welcomed to visit the official website of the conference (http://www.2019casi.org) and the official FB page (https://www.facebook.com/2019casi/) where more information in both Chinese and English can be found.
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